Urban Ecology

One morning I awoke
to a dead pigeon on the roof
of the building next to mine,
right under the window where I eat.
I phoned the landlord of the building
and asked him to remove it.
“I’ll look into it,” he said.
The next day it disappeared
under some new-fallen snow,
its feet like miniature TV antennas
the only sign it still was there.
After two days it re-emerged.
Now they’ll pick it up, I thought.
The bird stared back at me,
stunned and unbelieving.
After a few days I called the man back.
“I’ll look into it,” he said.
All winter it lay there.
In the spring, when it defrosted
the flies gathered around
like a surgical team.